Hal Smith (MLB catcher)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see: Hal Smith

Harold Raymond Smith (born June 1, 1931 in Barling, Arkansas) is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1956 through 1965 in baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals (1956-1961) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1965). Smith batted and threw right handed. He debuted on May 2, 1956, and played his final game on July 8, 1965.

Smith was a competent catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals during six years. An All-Star in 1957 and 1959, he was disabled in 1961 after suffering heart ailments. In 1965, he appeared in four games for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In a seven-season career, Smith was a .258 hitter with 23 home runs and 172 RBI in 570 games. As a catcher, he appeared in 548 games and recorded 2810 putouts, 247 assists, and only 33 errors in 2890 total chances for a .989 fielding percentage.

Smith also worked a long time for the Cardinals organization as major league coach, minor league manager and scout, and coached for the Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers.